Fixation systems can be used in orthopedic surgery to align and/or fix a desired relationship between two or more bones or bone fragments. For example, in spinal surgery, spinal fixation systems can be used to align and/or fix a desired relationship between vertebrae. A typical spinal fixation system can include bone screws or other anchors implanted in the vertebrae and connected by longitudinal rods.
There are a number of instances in which it can be desirable or necessary to arrange multiple rods in tandem. For example, rods might be arranged in tandem when adding a rod to an existing construct to extend the construct to additional vertebral levels, or when seeking to achieve a rod offset to clear other implants or patient anatomy, or to better fit with a series of implanted bone anchors. There are also a number of instances in which it can be desirable or necessary to attach multiple rods to the same bone anchor. This can arise, for example, when insufficient space or poor bone quality prevents use of a separate bone anchor at a particular location, or prevents use of a connector that attaches directly to both rods. Existing solutions for attaching multiple rods may be bulky, may require a large offset between the rods, or may limit the flexibility with which one rod can be positioned relative to another.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved rod connectors and related methods.